The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1887-03-10

o kent the soil in state Of fertility, and oil that was
needed was the knowledge Of filling it. but how
where the lands liable to become exhausted OF the
tiy9 Experience farming has subjected such LANDS TO
abandonment for years and for ages How hnsn vas.
tracts in Asia and in Europe in this regard Would
it be unseemly if should home for citation
in these particularsa
Experience in farming has not in all the ages OF
husbandry, brought the ter of the soil to the means OF
knowing By the appearances Of tho so and that OF the
growing of the plant what there lacking when the crops
are satisfactory One farmer says: 81 don't know
what ais my ground fails produce it looks dark and
rch but my crop not worth gathering" Another says
81 took great pains 10 prepare my soil and sowed my best
seed in proper time; but alas have CROP Farmers
have thus sold their plantations and moved away to other
localities in despair of extorting complementary
spense hone and projected their hopes to localities
Now in all these cases, by the interpretation of the avas
Of modern SCIENCE there may be detection of even
times, but insignificant lack in the barren se possibly
only little potash phosporic acid which may be sup
piled at a very trifing expense.
Much of the soil in Florida quite fertile in the natural
state; and portion of soils that rich be
easily improved SHALL further in the report advert
the of this Improvement Some soils of pine lands
poor and constrained to the discussion of the
of this poverty which also may best be done later on
But demur the habit of beaing the State Florida for
the poverty of its soil and here therefore, bespeak
ton to what will have to state to of serious dam
age lands where the blame attaches entirely rec
Lessness of the people!
Fortunately for Florida will appear in this hasy
preliminary survey the poorest lands in the State have
their remedy close at hand and matter of great con-
graduation that the day when State shall
longer be sandered by sinister anmadvesons regarding
its poor soil "'
The following common designations of the Florida
lands: First second and third qualities of pine lands and
oso and hgh hammock ads These vary character and
he bird,
ty of pine land consists almost bodily of fine white sand of
pure Silica having only from to per of other
erals as alumina, lime, ths analysis had reported in my
article for the trade edition Of the Jacksonville Times
Union, 1886; but extended observations made by
me since that time brings to report now of larger
per cent of lime in the sand of the pine lands humus
soda potash, magnesa and IRON The second quality like
but contains from 10 per aggregate of the above
addition to the sand First quality of pine land has
position about as follows: Silica, (sand so humus g.
lime, 4; alumina, g. potash, soda, magnesia O5O
iron, 1.5O manganese, 03O; phosphorc acid O3o sui
phurc acid O5O This statement comprises the soil and sub
soil of mixture taken from three localities rsass pine
land in different parts of the State.
High hammock land, clay land) comprising soil and sub
soil, affords average follows: Loam consisting of
equal parts OF sand and clay TO- humus, 90 and with
these somewhat similar proportions of ime potash soda
magnesa phosphorc and suphurc acids possessed by
first quality of pine land but this has iron and some
manganese.
Low hammock land considerably according to pres
of drainage ofmars The statement give here takes
in only the black deposit which consists mostly of humus
shell and sand The proportions of these differ Some va
rete consist mainly of muck others sand and often
prevalence of mar In low hammocks this latter is very
common where streams are near.
Before leaving the matter of the ayss of the soils
must advert to fact worth reference The sand deposits
OF Florida lands very generally msudged They are
hv hab osb
versant with deposits of sand banks in northern local
tiles, distant from the which generally wind drifts
or drifts from fresh water bays lakes and the sand is
quite liable to be clean and free from earthly or saline ad
mixture But here in Florida the sand accommodations are
from salt water bays coasts and they free
marine Salts especially having the presence of
the dust of marine Shells in form of carbonate from
organic forms shells of molusca Hence the sands of
Florida are tar more productive compared others
are not of recent marine derivation happens therefore,
that tourists who have opportunity inspect growing crops
on the sandy dd,rems" little astonshed to see
respectfully good crops grown such lands Similar sand
deposits elsewherethat in the adverse circumstances
commonly are found to be almost completely barren
ADAPTATION Soil.
Climate has much to do in matter of adaptation of soils
Thus the constituent chemical mechanical charac
tiers of soils quite varied in their adapabty for the
different products they capable of aordng lust accord
ing the climate may favor davor such productions
Timothy and clover will grow luxurianty in more northern
localities while here in Florida they do grow WELL and
this if the soil in the localities the same
in character On the other hand and tobacco do bet
ter the kind of soil here than these do in northern
localities Hence taking these brief illustrations as s,o
gesve, we have grounds to justify the proposition that
much is to be gained by the study of the adaptaby of
Soils as correlated to climate.
Perennial plants need resting correspond to
their perennial habit and need alterations of